Eldorado: Where chickens, cisterns spur controversy

Oh, Eldorado — the place where backyard chickens once were considered illegal and where ground-based solar panels became grounds for a court case.

The latest? Homeowners are being hounded because water cisterns that catch precious rainwater are visible above ground.

Now, folks who move to Eldorado likely see a homeowners’ association as a plus. Buyers often like HOAs, viewing them as a way to help keep property values high, maintain appearances and preserve neighborhoods. Other HOA residents simply pay their dues and don’t pay much attention. But rules can be pesky and confusing, especially when a so-called code enforcer is on the prowl.

The “rule” being violated apparently forbids above-ground water cisterns over a certain size unless they are covered by a fence or behind trees.

Marc Bedner and Rosemary Lowe have two 260-gallon water tanks at their home in Eldorado, replacing 50-gallon barrels that didn’t save enough rainfall.

The two tanks don’t violate covenants — Bedner checked — but they apparently go against 1990s-era architectural guidelines limiting the size of water tanks and requiring them to match house color and be shielded from view.

Evidently, they weren’t too obtrusive — Bedner and Lowe have been using them for the past five years.

So why is the violation being reported now?

HOAMCO — an Arizona-based management company that runs Eldorado — has employed a code enforcer who apparently seeks out violators. As a result, Bedner and Lowe say they are being told to hide the tanks or remove them.

The Eldorado Community Improvement Association actually was open to compromise — the local board was amenable to the couple simply painting the cisterns to match the house. But the code enforcer doesn’t want to compromise, insisting on a barrier with plants or a fence.

It would all be amusing, except these are the kinds of issues that never really die, especially in Eldorado.

The code enforcer says the rules aren’t that stringent — after all, at Las Campanas, the rules require all water storage tanks to be buried. That’s a much more expensive option that above-ground barrels or cisterns.

But Eldorado isn’t Las Campanas. For one thing, the median home price of a Las Campanas home is about $2.2 million, compared to median home prices in Eldorado at $729,000.

Eldorado also has a proud history of promoting conservation — whether in pioneering solar energy in its early days, or now, saving water.

What happens next is unknown, but it’s a situation ripe for compromise.

It doesn’t seem outrageous to simply let the couple paint their cisterns and move on to the next violation. If that’s not enough of a cure, form a committee to review architectural guidelines. Strike any that make it too expensive or burdensome to conserve water.

The overarching point is this: Save water, by any means necessary.

And remember this: The war over whether chickens are pets or livestock stretched over several years, with the Eldorado Community Improvement Association suing (and losing) in an attempt to ban the hens. Similarly, courts ruled that in-ground solar panels were acceptable. Now comes the fuss over cisterns designed to catch water in a parched land. Marc Bedner and Rosemary Lowe deserve a good neighbor award, not this aggravation. Oh, Eldorado.